NatNews

More than once in the past, the iPhone tried to autocorrect the word glute to flute, but it’s possible that the device simply didn’t understand the importance of this special body part.

But you are about to.

The glutes comprise a group of three muscles (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus) that stabilize the pelvis, extend the hip, and control rotation—all crucial for running and athletic movement. Runners, other athletes, and people who exist on a daily basis often experience hip and glute tightness from overuse or poor form during exercise and from sitting for prolonged periods of time.

Such tightness can also cause lower back pain and lead to more serious injuries if not addressed. Dallas-area resident Carolyn Macduff Levanway, who is running the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday and acknowledged that her hips and glutes become tight when she sits too long or goes more than a week without strength training, previously faced such an issue but was able to work through it and continue training without any major setbacks.

“My physical therapist actually found a Grade 1 tear in my gluteus medius last year because I sat in a training for work for eight hours straight,” she said. “Don’t do what I did, people!”

Dallas resident Sheldon Sonnenberg, a physical therapist who is also an investor and a consultant in the healthcare industry, said the real cause of hip and glute tightness is often an unexpected factor: hand dominance.

“Your dominant hand influences how your entire body aligns,” he said. “Over time, this creates a rotational imbalance—the pelvis shifts, one hip rotates forward, and the other rotates backward. This subtle asymmetry affects how each side of your body moves, often showing up as right-side tightness and glute weakness in right-handed individuals.”

Sonnenberg also said when joints are out of position, a person’s nervous system struggles to activate muscles efficiently. Some muscles become overactive (too tight), while others become underactive (too lengthened).

“Combine that with the repetitive forward motion of running—which occurs mostly in one plane—and your body loses rotational and lateral control,” he said. “The result? Tight hips, weak glutes, and overworked knees.”

The good news is that there are effective ways to find relief when tightness in the hips and glutes sets in. Macduff Levanway was able to work with her PT as well as a sports medicine doctor in her area to get back to running and functioning throughout her daily routines comfortably.

“My sports medicine doc prescribed a steroid to help with inflammation, and my PT did deep tissue massages and gave me exercises to do each day for a few weeks,” she said.

Sonnenberg also helps his patients find such alleviation and said the goal isn’t simply stretching tight areas—it’s about resetting one’s alignment so that his or her body can move naturally again.

“My process combines manual therapy with targeted mobility training to rebalance the pelvis, hips, and lower body,” he said. “Every exercise restores communication between your joints and nervous system.”

Sonnenberg also said mobility should include all three planes of motion: sagittal (front-to-back), frontal (side-to-side), and transverse (rotational).

“By restoring full-body alignment, you protect your knees and make each step feel smoother, lighter, and more efficient,” he said.

One way to prevent ongoing tightness is to ensure you activate your glutes during exercise. Glute activation, particularly essential for runners, can lead to a reduction in lower back and/or knee pain as well as an increase in power and physical performance. Sonnenberg said true glute activation doesn’t come from isolated exercises alone.

“The secret lies in joint alignment first, strength second,” he said. “‘Where the bones go, the muscles follow.’ Start by improving mobility and movement control, then layer in strength. Warm up through all three planes, activate the nervous system, and move with intention. Only then will your glutes—and the rest of your kinetic chain—function at full power.”

As an avid runner who continues to set and achieve goals and milestones for herself and wants to be able to participate in this sport she loves for as long as possible, Macduff Levanway knows the importance of staying healthy by paying attention to such factors as glute activation.

“You don’t want to end up injured and sitting out from the sport that brings you joy,” she said. “Strength train, cross-train, and do your mobility exercises often.”

Apple seeds contain small amounts of amygdalin, a chemical that produces cyanide.

In addition to serving as the prelude to the holidays, the fall season brings with it plenty of opportunities to explore new and traditional fashion trends. Many individuals love the creativity and versatility that fall affords, allowing people to somehow make casual, preppy, sophisticated, or a combination of various looks seem stylish.

The autumn season also ushers in different hues that better correlate with the changing and falling leaves than summer’s brighter colors. And whether one is embracing days spent in leggings or sweatpants and cozy hoodies or snazzy jackets and less dressed-down apparel, the ensemble possibilities throughout this season are seemingly endless.

“I wear black a lot in the fall with wide-leg/loose-fit jeans that are high-waisted,” Dallas-area resident Ashley Hill said. “Other fall colors I love to wear are mauve and rust. I also love dressing an outfit down more casually by wearing my white Vejas sneakers in the fall.”

Fall footwear certainly tends to leave toes and ankles less exposed, as flip-flops and other sandals are often left behind in one’s closet for a while. Dallas-area resident Megan England, the official fashion correspondent of NatNews, said she is a fan of wearing tall boots throughout the stylish season.

“I really like equestrian-style boots and feel that they are classics,” she said. “I also feel that way about true leather or skin cowboy boots. However, I am loving the colored, fun, gameday-style cowboy boots, as well.”

England said she does, however, have some questions regarding the style choices that are decidedly “in,” particularly relating to when a former fall outfit staple will return to people’s necks.

“When are we bringing back infinity scarves?” she said.

Another local fashion savant, Dallas resident Doug Mitchell, said his favorite fall items are sweaters, especially cardigans, because of the versatility they offer.

“They’re a great substitute for a blazer when you want to be a little more dressed-up, and I love pairing a classic black cardigan with a T-shirt and jeans,” he said. “I’m also a fan of chunky, oversized cardigans—especially when I find one in an animal print.”

And while it’s subjective to each individual as to which season offers the best possibilities in terms of appealing fashion, Mitchell said the obvious answer, in his opinion, is absolutely fall.

“Cooler weather means you can wear layers and create more opportunities to be creative with patterns,” he said.

Like Mitchell, England said she also thinks fall tops all seasons for best fashion and appreciates the chance to wear layers.

“I think fall has a color scheme that is unique to only this time of year, and that makes it feel more special,” she said. “As a layering advocate, I feel like this style has the most potential for this time of year.”

As with each season, areas of the U.S. and across the globe experience different weather than others. Anyone who lives in Dallas and other parts of Texas knows that simply because the calendar suddenly says it’s autumn in late September doesn’t mean that the temperatures have left the 90s by that time. But once the area does start to experience more of an actual fall feel, Hill said she enjoys donning somewhat collaborative styles that veer away from what she typically wears on warmer days.

“I love fall fashion because with the weather in Texas, you can bleed summer and winter fashions together,” she said. “For example, sometimes I love wearing a pair of shorts with a baggy comfy sweatshirt.”

Just because something is considered trending or not doesn’t mean it can’t be worn when one wants to, though. It’s not uncommon for individuals not to care any about fashion or not to care at certain times or in certain stages of their lives. For Hill, she said she considers herself to be a mix of comfy and stylish when it comes to what she chooses to wear throughout the fall season.

“It truly depends on the day and the occasion,” she said. “I love wearing an oversized sweatshirt with yoga pants when I’m at home watching the Cowboys play, but if I’m actually going to a Cowboys game, I’m all about the gameday fashion, like my white boots, sequin jeans, and a cute Gameday Couture top or team bomber jacket.”

Like Hill, England’s look is often contingent upon her specific environment and what her role is in those different settings. 

“If I am out and about socially, I like to look cute with finishing touches, such as makeup and more ornate designer accessories,” she said. “When I go to work as a teacher, I tend to dress more kitsch and don’t wear makeup.”

Regardless of whether or not a person is hip with the fashion trends or still wearing a shirt from the 1990s that says “I’m tight like spandex” and forever believes that anything matches if you wear it with confidence, there’s nothing wrong with doing what’s best and most enjoyable for you when it comes to what you wear.

“For me, it’s not so much about being trendy but about wearing what I like, which sometimes tends to be a little quirky,” Mitchell said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not comfortable—feeling comfortable in what you’re wearing is as important as wearing something comfortable.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Some of the NatNews staff and some dear readers recently celebrated the marriage of dear readers Jeremy and Lucy and then owned the dance floor  

Monday, October 27: Mavs vs. Thunder at the American Airlines Center
Tuesday, October 28: Stars vs. Capitals at the American Airlines Center; Pickleball Clinic & Mixer at the Sandy Pickle; Free Rooftop Movie — Weapons at Sundown at Granada
Wednesday, October 29: Mavs vs. Pacers at the American Airlines Center
Thursday, October 30: Cool Thursday Concerts — Dancing Dream | ABBA Tribute Band at the Dallas Arboretum; Candlelight — Rock Favorites on Strings at Frontiers of Flight Museum
Friday, October 31: A Nightmare on Main Street Halloween Bash at the Village Dallas; Día de los Muertos Concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center; Chills & Thrills Halloween Party at House of Blues Dallas; Hall-O-Ween with Emerald City Band at Legacy Hall
Saturday, November 1: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Dallas Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Klyde Warren Park; Plano Food + Wine Festival at Legacy West; Maná at the American Airlines Center (also on Sunday)
Sunday, November 2: DMA Free First Sundays — Access for All at the Dallas Museum of Art; Celebración del Día de Muertos at Crown Hill Memorial Park